Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Your testers can be remote, assuming you get "live wires" who will dedicate time to testing/ communications I always invite them to SLACK asap so they feel they can contact me any time and then we jump into appear.in video rooms. I just exited 2 hours of meetings with one young mom, her

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

On July 7, 2017 8:26:53 PM Mark Wieder via use-livecode wrote: There's a truism that you can't test your own software - you're way to close to the way it *should* work to ever figure out how users are going to try to use it. Oh man is that ever true. I'm lucky

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

On 07/07/2017 05:07 PM, Sannyasin Brahmanathaswami via use-livecode wrote: That's it. Everything else I'm about to tell you is just commentary." Great background story. -- Mark Wieder ahsoftw...@gmail.com ___ use-livecode mailing list

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

On 07/07/2017 05:50 PM, Jonathan Lynch via use-livecode wrote: The way my brain works, I am decent at figuring out clever solutions, but terrible at realizing what others will find intuitive. Heh. You're not alone there. There's a truism that you can't test your own software - you're way to

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

I am impressed by your circle of beta testers! I have plenty of friends and family that would help, but they are spread around the country. Point taken about folks not communicating so well. It seems like direct observation of them using it could help. The way my brain works, I am decent at

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

I would echo Jacqueline's advice here: " There's no secret to creating a great application that people will use and enjoy. Test the application and everything in it, again and again. Run everything through its paces several times and in different orders. Click every button, read and scroll

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Thanks Bill I am thinking of reaching out to Trip Advisor after version 1.5, but focusing on high schools initially. Trolls are a big concern. I have a lot ideas on dealing with that, including taking advantage of the self-correcting nature of social media. I am going to add in a rating

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Jonathon: There are two learning processes going on. One is for the person testing the software, the second is for you, learning what kinds of interface approaches hang up new users. As you learn, by observing users, you will gain approaches that minimize future user problems, and you will find

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

It does help, Scott - sounds like I should segment the testing process with a cycle, running through the test, observe, discuss, note cycle for each group of functionalities. Not unlike PM methodology. Because I am looking to perfect and grow a single app over many years, I should be able to

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

It sounds like a little bit of direct, intensive observation is worth a lot of testing a a distance. Thanks Jeff Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 7, 2017, at 5:31 PM, Jeff Reynolds via use-livecode > wrote: > > Jonathan, > > I second bill's approach of watching

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

You don’t have to keep your mouth shut. In fact, you should be vocal, but you want your tester to be more vocal. Generalized suggestions from past experience… - First, explain to the tester in general terms what your app does. Avoid getting into operating specifics. - Tell the tester you

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Jonathan, I second bill's approach of watching folks use the app. Years of educational software creation taught me this. I would always make friends with a local teacher that was into tech and they usually were happy to get a period to try something on the kids if it only took one period to do

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Well, 3 out of 3 people who tested my app from this list got stuck signing up, but no one got stuck when I was there to prompt them to use the Universal Options button. So, I have to discipline myself to keep my mouth shut. Everything depends on it. This is my second time reading your article,

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

That's a good summary. It's tedious sometimes but essential. The hardest part by far is keeping your mouth shut. If I had a one-way mirror in a sound-proofed room I'd use that. Another method might be to have the user share their screen and turn off your microphone, but screen sharing is not

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

>From reading these, it looks like my basic steps are these: 1. Make changes to the app 2. Test for usability myself a dozen times, trying things in different orders and in different ways to make it fail 3. Have my testers, which is really about 3 family members, test it to make it fail No

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Thank you, Jacqueline Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 7, 2017, at 1:39 PM, J. Landman Gay via use-livecode > wrote: > > http://hyperactivesw.com/resources_testing.html > > >> On July 7, 2017 6:59:52 AM Jonathan Lynch via use-livecode >>

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

http://hyperactivesw.com/resources_testing.html On July 7, 2017 6:59:52 AM Jonathan Lynch via use-livecode wrote: What steps do you guys follow for accurate testing when you don't have a budget for proper official testing procedures? -- Jacqueline Landman

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Thank you, Devin! Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 7, 2017, at 12:01 PM, Devin Asay via use-livecode > wrote: > > Jonathan, > > Here’s a link to my lesson outline when I teach my students about conducting > user evaluations of software. It’s still a bit sparse and

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

In another era, Heathkit reportedly used secretaries to test the instructions to their electronics kits. They found that they could only use any given secretary three times, as she would pick up enough doing the first three to overcome errors in future runs without being stopped by them . . .

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Jonathan, Here’s a link to my lesson outline when I teach my students about conducting user evaluations of software. It’s still a bit sparse and needs to be fleshed out, but I include some links to a couple of really good articles on evaluation techniques, including one by our very own Jacque

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

On 07/07/2017 07:29 AM, prothero--- via use-livecode wrote: Actually watching users is invaluable. Absolutely. And try to resist the urge to help them along. And take notes about where they hesitate or stumble. As a QA engineer, I find that when I'm faced with a new application I have about

Re: Biased testing and micro-coaching

Jonathon, I feel your pain. In my case, I was initiated by my students and very quickly learned how to ask the questions a newbie would ask. I also paid small amounts to graduate students to get their feedback. One of my very effective testers is my grandson, my wife, any of my colleagues who

Biased testing and micro-coaching

I think my experience of the last two days has taught me something - I have been micro-coaching my friends when they try my app. Just the littlest input, like saying "oh, just press the button again to submit" comes so easily and, apparently mucks up testing entirely. While the harm will be